Individual Details

Tabitha Adamson married Conrad Imel, Wayne Co, 3 May 1835. I would appear that by 1850, Tabitha might have died, and Conrad was not able to care for the children - they seem to be living in various places. Family stories claim that Conrad died on a wagon train to Oregon, but he appears in Indiana or Illinois until 1880 - so that seems unlikely. His brother James married to Tabitha's sister Mary had gone to Oregon about 1853. There is supposed to be a grave, Clackamas Cemetery, "brother of James R. Imel" but it isn't represented on FindAGrave and apparently had no name or date. If Conrad died enroute or soon after his arrival in Oregon, it was very late in life and he wouldn't likely have been traveling by wagon train.

A webpage re a book on the Imel family:
Immel and Imel Families in Amercia
http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~imel/
is interesting and provides possible information about children of Tabitha and Conrad.

I was able to find the suggested children [Martha, Richard, Thomas & Martin] for Conrad as in the book, but don't necessarily agree with the conclusions.
A Martha "Emble", age 18, born in Indiana, was living in Blue River Twp, Johnson Co, IN with Isaac & Sarah Beeson. Since that places her as born 1832, three years before Conrad & Tabitha married, and her name really isn't Imel, and she's in a different county from the others - I just doubt very much that she's a daughter.
In 1850, in Prairie Twp, Kosciusko, IN, living with John & Margaret Routson [surname is difficult to read] was a Richard Immel, age 11, and what appeared to be his mother, age 32, but I read her name as "Patsa" - again it's hard to read but it definitely is not Tabitha, Talitha, etc. Both Richard and the lady were born in IN. I did not find any Richard in subsequent census years, nor anyone that could have been Tabitha.
Then in Van Buren Twp, Kosciusko, IN, a Thomas Immell, age 8, b. IN was living with Oris & Ellen O'Dell and Martin Immel, age 5, b. IN was living with William & Mary Kinsey. Martin was still with the Kinseys in 1860. Certainly Martin was a child, because in 1880, Conrad was living with him, marked as his father. Thomas is traced in the book to Missouri.

The name Conrad Imel, even mis-spelled, is fairly rare. I found him always alone:
1850. Clark Twp, Montgomery Co, IN, Hh 628.
Miles L. Corn, 37, Farmer, b. KY; Nancy 29, b. IN. Margaret J. 6, Susannah 4, William H. 1 - children born IN. Conrod Imel, age 43, b. VA "Labourer" [the book says Nancy was his niece and there is an Indiana marriage for Nancy Imel to Miles Corn.]
1860. New Philadelphia P.O., New Jerusalem Twp, McDonough Co IL, Hh 348
Robert Rutledge, 36, b. VA; Elizabeth 26, b. IN; Maria 3; Jasper 1, Douglas 4 months - children all born in Illinois. And Conrod Imel, age 53, b. VA, "farm labour". [Elizabeth b. 1834, seems a little too old to be a possible daughter but she was born in Indiana - perhaps another niece? No Rutledge/Imel marriage found, though.]
[didn't find Conrad in 1870....]
1880. Harris Twp, Fulton Co, IL, Hh 104
Martin Imel, 34, Farmer, b. IN, father b. VA, mother b. IN
Naomi, 26 wife, b. England as were her parents
Ezra, age 2, son, b. IL
Conrod Imel, age 72, father, b. VA, parents b. Maryland

This is what I think about this. And it's strictly my opinion. I suspect that Tabitha Adamson Imel died prior to 1850 and Conrad could not take care of the children. Whether or not she even lived long enough to be the mother to his children cannot be ascertained for sure - although there are no other marriages for Conrad in Indiana in that time frame. The only children I feel confident about would be the two they were able to trace further - Thomas & Martin - although one would expect older children, too, since they married in 1835. I also think the family story about Conrad dying on the way to Oregon has significant problems, given that he was still alive and in Illinois as late as 1880. All family traditions have a grain of truth - possibly it was a different brother that died on the journey, or perhaps Conrad went to Oregon very late in life and died there but he was getting pretty old to undertake such a journey.


A daughter Telitha is shown in some database, but with a birth year the same as Ann's - I think it was just confusion about Tabitha's name. The family record that listed all the exact birth dates, had only a single Talitha, b. Feb 3, 1817.



A Tabitha (or Labitha) Adamson also married Prior Wright, Wayne Co, 2 Jul 1837. She seems to have been slightly older and family databases do show her name as Labitha, not Tabitha. However, I believe she was Tabitha, daughter of Samuel Adamson & Naomi Lamb.

Birth	13 Feb 1817	North Carolina
Marriage	4 Jun 1835	Wayne County, Indiana - Conrad Imel

Spouse

Conrad Imel (1807 - 1880)

Father	John Adamson (1782 - 1832)
Mother	Ann Jackson (1782 - 1860)
Sibling	Enos Adamson (1804 - )
Sibling	Simon Adamson (1806 - 1889)
Sibling	Charity Adamson (1808 - )
Sibling	Mary Adamson (1810 - )
Sibling	Charlotte Adamson (1812 - )
Sibling	Nathaniel Jackson Adamson (1814 - 1890)
Sibling	John L. Adamson (1819 - )
Sibling	Ann Adamson (1821 - 1879)
Sibling	Samuel Adamson (1824 - )
Sibling	Jonathan Adamson (1828 - 1901)

Webtags

Notes